Josh Childress goes Greek
July 23, 2008 at 4:55 pm by Scott Freeman in NewsYou could see this one coming. The Olympiakos, the Greek professional basketball team, flew Josh Childress over to Greece. They wined and dined him, and then offered him a three-year, $20 million contract In Euros. They’re even going to pay his taxes. And he signed up.
And what were the Atlanta Hawks doing during all this, and in the months leading up to this? Obviously, twittling their thumbs. In the process, they’ve lost one of the top bench players in the NBA, a firebrand of energy who seemed to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time.
Gone untold on the sports page of the AJC is the story behind why Josh Smith doesn’t want to play for the Hawks, and why Childress doesn’t want to play here. I’ve seen reports elsewhere that both players have a beef with Coach Mike Woodson.
For the long-term ramifications, check out John Hollinger’s take on ESPN.com. Writes Hollinger: “The fact that Childress didn’t think twice about leaving — and that Josh Smith seemingly would gladly pack his bags too — speaks volumes about the management. So does the fact that Atlanta is among NBA players’ favorite cities to visit, and yet nobody wants to play here.”
And just when the city was finally starting to embrace the Hawks …
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:52 pm
The Clippers of the East.
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:52 pm
I blame the jerk offs at Atlanta Spirit for backing Woodson and ditching Knight. If you were going to keep one of those morons, why keep the super duper moron?
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:04 pm
I’ve heard that the AJC’s Terence Moore called Atlanta the “worst sports town in America.” I hope to God that he was referring to the stupid ass, terminally incompetent professional sports teams in this town.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:55 pm
The Hawks are symptomatic of sports in Atlanta. With the loss of Childress, they’re sinking. The Falcons are terrible. The WNBA team is awful. Even the Braves struggle. Not a great era in Atlanta professional sports.
July 24th, 2008 at 9:36 am
And this TOO is Bush’s fault. By allowing the dollar to sink so low with his miserable fiscal policy, he’s made it possible for a Greek team to outbid an NBA team. Chalk up a “W” to the Hawks.
July 24th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
One dollar equals $1.56 in Euros. So when Childress inked a “$20 million” deal, it equates to more like $35 million in actual money. With no taxes.